The present invention relates to equipment storage apparatus, such as equipment racks and cabinets for holding electronic, laboratory and industrial equipment. The invention has application both in storing equipment for use in plants, laboratories, and other sites, as well as in shipping such equipment.
Equipment storage apparatus hold electronic, laboratory and industrial equipment, including, computers, controllers, test equipment, communications devices, and so forth. In addition to providing storage, they isolate the equipment and protect it from bumps, jolts, dust, temperature fluctuations and other environmental factors. Some storage apparatus also protect equipment users from radiation or other hazards presented by the equipment.
The prior art offers a variety of designs for equipment storage apparatus. One common design is an "open rack" (here, simply referred to as a "rack"), which typically comprises a doorless, substantially rectangular frame. Equipment is mounted to vertical members of the frame, either directly or via shelf-like attachments. An advantage of open racks is that they are relatively lightweight and, therefore, can be easily shipped or handled. A drawback of open equipment racks is that they provide the equipment only minimal protection from external hazards, and vice versa.
Another common design for equipment storage apparatus is the enclosed rack or cabinet. These typically comprise box-like shells comprised of panels, with internal mounting brackets for attachment of the equipment. Examples of this design are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,017,134; 5,294,748; 5,536,079; 5,574,251. By enclosing the equipment, the cabinets afford it isolation from the environment. A drawback, however, is that equipment cabinets are exceedingly heavy and, therefore, difficult to transport. In addition, they must often be assembled from many parts, a task that can take hours.
An object of the present invention is to provide improved equipment storage apparatus.
A further object is to provide such storage apparatus as are lightweight, yet, strong and that can be readily transported.
A still further object is to provide such apparatus as can be easily assembled.
Yet a still further object of the invention is to provide such apparatus as can be used, not only, to store equipment, but also to protect it during shipment.
Yet still another object of the invention is to provide such apparatus as can be readily converted between open (i.e., rack) and closed (i.e., cabinet) configurations.
Still yet another aspect of the invention is to provide such apparatus as can be manufactured at low cost, using known techniques and readily available materials.